NHL officials offer tips to avoid buying bogus Stanley Cup Finals merchandise

PITTSBURGH — NHL officials were outside CONSOL Energy Center Wednesday in search of counterfeiters who were selling bogus merchandise to unsuspecting fans heading inside the venue to see the Pittsburgh Penguins take on the San Jose Sharks in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals.

Officials said there are a few signs to look for to avoid purchasing counterfeit merchandise.%

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First, fans should look for the hologram sticker or tag on the merchandise. Second, a laser printed serial number should be visible on the tag. If that serial number is not there, the merchandise is fake.

Lastly, fans should look for misspellings. NHL officials said it’s not surprising to see jerseys like Sidney Crosby’s sold with “Cosby” written across the back.

Counterfeiting is a multi-billion dollar operation, and officials told Channel 11 News that it hurts local businesses.

“At the end of the day, there are a lot of local places paying taxes, playing by the rules and selling high quality merchandise, and those business deserve our support,” Jia Wang, with the NHL, said.

Cox Media Group